Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful hand-related disease. The disease, which affects about 4% of people, causes pain, numbness, and a tingling sensation in the hands and arms. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when space is narrowed for one of the major nerves of the hand – the median nerve – in the wrist or carpal tunnel area. This nerve is responsible for sensation in the thumb, index finger, middle finger and part of the ring finger. Carpal tunnel syndrome can occur in both hands. In most cases, the condition of carpal tunnel syndrome gets worse over time. That is why early diagnosis and timely treatment of this problem is very important. Non-surgical treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome can be the use of braces or splints or some medications. Wearing a brace or splint at night prevents the wrist from bending during sleep. Keeping the wrist steady in a straight and motionless position reduces the pressure on the carpal tunnel nerve. In addition, it is best to use splints when performing activities that exacerbate symptoms.

However, in some cases, if the pressure on the median nerve continues, nerve damage and more severe symptoms can occur. If the use of physiotherapy, medications and non-surgical methods is not effective, surgical treatments may be used to prevent permanent injury to relieve pressure on the median nerve. The decision to have surgery in this case depends on the severity of the patient’s symptoms, the amount of pain and the numbness in the patient. Sometimes the patient has numbness or excessive weakness in the thumb muscles for a long time; In these cases, the doctor uses surgery to prevent irreparable damage.

Causes of carpal tunnel syndrome and its symptoms

Carpal tunnel syndrome is usually caused by activities that cause the flexor tendons of the wrist and fingers to be under constant pressure. These activities which are done by hands are often accompanied by wrist pain. For example, those who are more likely to have this problem include people who work many hours a day with a computer, carpenters, musicians, athletes (especially in boating, cycling, tennis), repairmen. Occasionally, carpal tunnel syndrome occurs suddenly. The sudden onset of this complication may be due to falling on the hand in a stretched position, which causes the wrist to twist or break, or when lifting a heavy weight or suddenly grasping an object. The symptoms of this complication gradually show themselves. At first Mild pain in the hands and wrists is caused by activities that increase the pressure on the median nerve. This pain is often felt at night or early in the morning. The Hand numbness may occur frequently during the day. The fingers become tingling and numb, and the strength of the thumb and other fingers decreases. This pain or tingling may sometimes move from the forearm to the shoulder. As a result, it makes it difficult for a person to perform delicate hand movements, such as buttoning clothes or working with delicate objects, and his ability to grasp objects decreases. In these patients, the wrists and fingers are mostly stiff when waking up in the morning. Occasionally there is a pain in the neck or upper back on the same side of the body as the affected hand.